Tadabur e Quran (English) - Molana Amin Ahsan Islahi (Courtesy: www.tadabbur-i-quran.org)

Surah Jinn

Central Theme, Relationship with Previous Surah and Analysis of the
Discourse

This surah is the counterpart of Surah Nuh the previous surah. Both
form a complimentary pair. There is no basic difference between the
central themes of both surahs. In the previous siirah, a soul-stirring and a
soul-searching picture is presented before the leaders of the Quraysh of the
stubbornness and arrogance shown by the leaders of Noah's nation, of the
way they closed their ears to the calls of their Messenger and of the fate
they reached. Now in this surah, they are being shown that the very
Qur'an from which they feel such great aversion cast such a potent
influence on a group of jinn that it embarked upon spreading its message
among its brethren. So aversive were they in this regard that they would
thrust their fingers in their ears and leap at the person who would recite it
out to them and disgustfully run away when they would hear it. The
incident of the jinn hearing the Qur'an as mentioned in this surah has
already been alluded to in Surah Ahqaf (46:29-32). I have already
mentioned in the tafsir of these verses why this incident has been related
before the leaders of the Quraysh. The first reason was to incite their sense
of honour: if the jinn, who are not even the direct addrssees of the Qur'an
could be so deeply moved on accidentally hearing it, how is it that these
leaders of the Quraysh for which the whole Qur'an has been specifically
revealed are showing indifference to it; day and night, a messenger of God
is calling them towards it, while they are so unfortunate that instead of
opening their hearts to his calls they have become avowed enemies of
those who are presenting it. The second reason for relating this incident
before the leaders of the Quraysh was to assure the Prophet (sws): if the
miscreants of his nation were not treasuring the Qur'an, he should not be
sad; people whose hearts are dead will not benefit from it however much
they try; on the other hand, those who even have the slightest ability to
appreciate the truth will benefit from it even if they accidentally chance by
to hear it whether they are its addressees or not and whether any
arrangement is made to read it out to them or not.

People who are only slaves to their faculties of sensation and who deny
the very existence of things beyond these faculties will not be effected by
the manner in which a group of jinn were moved by the Qur'an; they are

Surah Jinn 530

not even addressed here. The addressees here are the Idolaters of the
Quraysh who were not so dumb as to believe only in things they could
see or touch. They not only believed in the existence of the jinn, they had
also set up a whole system of soothsaying through which they
maintained contacts with them. For this reason, the Qur'an has narrated
to them this incident as something very important. If they want, they too
can benefit from this information. Through soothsayers, they would
receive various news from the miscreants among the jinn. The Qur'an
has presented before them a report of the righteous among them so that
those among these leaders of the Quraysh who have the ability to
distinguish between good and evil are guided to embrace faith. The
Qur'an has related before them some facts of the unknown and unseen
world so that the seekers of the truth can gain benefit from this. Although
the slaves to the sense faculties will call all this a product of one's
imagination, providence does not deprive people of its blessings if some
unworthy elements fail to recognize and value it.

Text and Translation

j| ^j4J 0) Kpr^- % WJ^ iSH 'Cy* 3

\Qj N'j aIs-Uj l£l U IjJj jS- Ailj (^) XZj> il ^JLi jjj Aj llils jJ/^l

& JL^I AJi J J €\j (t) U^l &\ & X^JC, SjL>d% &j (V)
(\) (y> (j* & ^13 (°) ^-P ^

<iJLU U5>\jJl>jS »ll»JI HU IjIj (V) l.ls-1 aIsI tLiL jJ jl liilia US' IjUs jLjjIj
33 JcS?; <3^H £-JL«S ^^li £«JLU -AjC-ULa U\~? JvJiij u5 IjIj (A) UgJuj U>^>-

(V) \1Jjj I4J iljl pi o^mI l| (j^? Jr 2 ^ * «|j 0) ^-^3

j y^A jJ jl (^) ^ ^ 6>> (l)j^rUfi3l ll? IjIj

^ Aj^j j^ji jli Aj lliT t^J^il ill IjIj (^) Ijjjb oj^uu jJj (j^jSfl

IjJy Ijjit (XUJjll jjuui (jli 5 j£^°N lL«j 5 ja-L'^-JI ll? blj (NV) ULfej Mj Uli^r
pjslllil^ AAj^JaJI jp Ijililll jJlj (NO) Uiaa- ^Igir ijjlSi QjK^laJi l^lj (M)

5lj (W) IjJl^> IjIjuS aSCLIS ^jj (f- (J^j^i (j^j 6*5 p ^2 0"^)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful.

Tell them: "It has been revealed to me that when a group of jinn
listened to the Qur'an, they said to their people: 'We have heard a
Qur'an wondrous, which shows guidance to the right path; so we have
professed faith in it and we will not by any means associate any one with
our Lord and that exalted is the majesty of our Lord; He has neither
taken a wife for Himself nor does He have any children. And that this
foolish [leader] of ours has been saying absolutely false things about
Allah. And that we thought that no man or jinn could forge a lie against
Allah. And that there were some among men who had been seeking
refuge with some among the jinn so they only increased them in their
rebellion. And that like you, they also thought that Allah would never
raise the dead. And we deeply observed the heavens and found it filled
with stern guards and meteors. And we were able to sit in some of its
stations to eavesdrop, but now whoever tries to eavesdrop finds a meteor
waiting for him. And that we do not know whether any ill has been
intended for those on earth or whether their Lord has intended something
good for them. And that there are pious among us also and some who are
otherwise; our paths are separate. And that we acknowledge that we
cannot escape God's grasp by setting off to some place in this earth or by
running away somewhere in the heavens. And that when we heard words
of guidance we believed in it. So he who believes in his God their Lord
will have no fear of any loss or any injustice. And that there are obedient
among us and also disobedient; so those who are obedient will find
themselves on the right path, and those who are disobedient will become
the firewood of Hell.'" (1-15)

And it has also been revealed to me that if these [Quraysh] had adhered
to the straight path, We would have bestowed on them rain in abundance

Is

si

Surah Jinn 532
so that We could test them by this, and those who turn away from the
Reminder of their Lord, He will put them through an ever-increasing
torment. And that mosques are only for the worship of Allah; so invoke
not any one with Allah. And that when this servant of Allah stands to
invoke only Him, it seems as if they will rush upon him. Tell them: "I
invoke my Lord only and will not associate partners with Him." Tell
them: "I have no authority to harm or benefit." Tell them: "None can
protect me from Allah nor can I find any refuge besides Him" Only to
inform you from God and to communicate His messages to you. And
those who disobey Allah and His Prophet shall abide forever in the fire
of Hell. Until these people behold that what they are being warned of,
then they shall know who is the weakest in help and who is the fewest in
numbers. Tell them: "I do not know whether that with which you are
being threatened is imminent or whether My Lord will postpone it a little
more." Only He knows the unknown, and He never reveals His unknown
to anyone. As for those whom He chooses as His Messengers, He guards
them from behind and from the front that He may know if they have
delivered the messages of their Lord; and He surrounds them from all
sides and keeps count of all their things. (16-28)

Explanation

The words Js (tell them) clearly indicate the fact that the

impressions of the jinn cited in this siirah are not narrated to the Prophet
(sws) directly from their tongue; these impressions have been revealed to
the Prophet (sws) by the Almighty. A group of jinn chanced by the
Prophet (sws) while he was reciting the Qur'an. They were so moved by
it that they intently listened to what was being recited. Such was the
pronounced effect of its wondrous words on them that they embarked
upon calling their own brethren towards it.

When did this incident happen? It is difficult to give a certain answer
to this question. In my opinion, this is a detailed version of the same
incident referred to rather concisely in Siirah Ahqaf. I have already
referred to its background and context in the tafsir of that siirah in the
light of various narratives. These impressions of the jinn have been
conveyed to the Prophet (sws) so that he informs his people of them. The
implication is that the very Qur'an which they are treating in such a

1. Tell them: It has been revealed to me that when a group of jinn listened to
Qur'an, they said to their people: We have heard a Qur'an wondrous.

Surah Jinn 533

disdainful manner by shutting their ears to it, and set off to become the
enemies of its reciter even though it was specifically revealed for them
had a profound influence on some bright jinn. So potent was this
influence that they became such ardent fans of it that they embarked
upon calling their people towards it even though they were not the direct
addressees of this Book.

The word jl clearly shows that the Prophet (sw) has been informed of
these impressions of the jinn so that he conveys them to the leaders of
the Quraysh to awaken their sense of honour. In a passing way, these
words also assure the Prophet (sws) that he should not feel sad if his
message is not receiving recognition by such worthless people. If they
are not valuing this Book, then neither is the Book to be blamed nor the
Prophet (sws); it is because of their own bad nature.

The words \ls>£ l5T^S liLl* \1\ \ jJUI depict the message the jinn conveyed
to their nation. In other words, they did not merely praise the words they
heard; they thought it was a natural requirement of recognizing the truth
and of being well-wishers to their people that they should share with
them the divine favour they had been with by God.

The word 4~?^ is a verbal noun and in contrast to nas more

emphasis and exaggeration in it. The jinn used this word for the Qur'an's
efficacy, forcefulness and being replete with wisdom. In Arabic, this
word does not mean "strange" (which is its Urdu meaning); it expresses
the effectiveness and beauty of something. In Surah Ahqaf, this aspect is
discussed in the following words:

They said: "O people! We have just been listening to a book revealed
after the time of Moses in confirmation of the confirming previous
predictions and pointing to the truth and to a straight path." (46:30)

It is also indirectly evident from the verse under discussion that the
jinn are not only conversant with their own language, they are also
conversant with the language of the human beings belonging to the area
where the jinn live and that also among them are those who are
connoisseurs of this language.

Surah Jinn 534

* a t - '-set'

2 (^) Uj^j 3 yii Aj liila jl eS^4J

This verse explains how the Qur'an is so effective as referred to by the
word of the previous verse: this Book is guiding people to the truth
which is acceptable to the heart of every good-natured person. In the
verse of Surah Ahqaf, the words used are: & J*> Jij Ji
Here the word llj comprehensively covers this subject. It encompasses
all basic beliefs and virtues which are innately found in human nature.

Here the word llj (rushd) comprehensively covers this subject. It
encompasses all basic beliefs and virtues which are innately found in
human nature. If a person does not pervert his nature by wrongly using
his will, it guides him to the straight path. If, at times, he does commit a
blemish, a little reminder and admonition brings him back on the right
track; the only condition is that he should value and recognize this
feature of his nature and not be led away by his base desires. The highest
status occupied in this rushd is that of tawhTd. It is the fountainhead of
all basic beliefs and deeds and on it depends their correctness as well.

The obligation owed by the jinn to the lij is expressed by the words:
llUl. It is the natural right of being blessed with this guidance to
profess faith in it. The jinn accepted it with sincerity.

The primary and foremost part of llj is tawhjd, as indicated earlier.
Consequently, the jinn while stating a requirement of this llj expressed
that it was not possible for them now to associate partners with God. The
Qur'anic words used are UjJj 'A ^Jj.

It needs to be appreciated that all basic beliefs and virtues are common
not only among all human beings but also the jinn. The Qur'an has in
fact clarified that they are common to every cognizant being of this
universe. The difference in directives between human beings and jinn
relates to the social sphere only. There is no reason for any difference
between them as far as beliefs in tawhTd, in the Day of Judgement and in
the reward and punishment which will take place on that Day as well as
in morals and morality. Thus it is these things which are mentioned here.
The Qur'an also invited people in the initial period of the Makkan life of
the Prophet (sws) to these basic requirements ingrained in human nature.

Expressed in this verse is a further explanation of their statement

2. Which shows guidance to the right path; so we have professed faith in it
and we will not by any means associate any one with our Lord.

3. And that exalted is the majesty of our Lord; He has neither taken a wife for
Himself nor does He have any children.

Surah Jinn

s .

535

— ; 8 ; : — ji '

UjJj 3 j& jJj (and we will not by any means associate any one with
our Lord) cited in the previous verse. It has become absolutely evident to
them that so exalted is their Lord that He does not require any family.
Foolish are the people who attribute such things to Him. He neither has a
wife nor any children.

The word JliS signifies "greatness, grandeur and high status". The
implication is that He is so lofty that no one can be His peer or equal in
status to Him. He is solitary and peerless and is not dependent on
anything. He has no equal and is matchless. Although this is a statement of
the jinn and hence should be related to the sentence \:,k^„ Uj. \ jiliS (they
said: We heard ...); however, since these impressions of the jinn did not
come directly to the Prophet's knowledge and yvere revealed to him by
God this statement should be related to <G I Q\ JS (tell them: it has been
revealed to me that . . .) as are all subsequent statements of the jinn.

4 (t) Whh M C$ &\j

The word Ljl, means "foolish". Here the jinn have used it for their
leader because his foolishness became evident to them after they had
heard the Qur'an.

The word Jaiai. means something which does not conform to justice
and truth.

When the jinn were fully convinced of tawhid, they informed their
people that their foolish leader would ascribe absolutely false and
baseless allegations to the majesty of God. Amongst these allegations
was that He had a wife and children and that such and such were His
favorite sons and such and such were His favorite daughters; however,
the Qur'an they have heard clearly shows that all these were false
allegations concocted by their false leader. So they repented from all
such nonsensical things and invited their people too to repent from such
things and not be lured away by this foolish leader.

It is evident from this verse that the group of jinn mentioned in these
verses was from their common masses. They did tread the path they were
led into by their leaders; however, once the truth became evident to them
they stopped obeying their leaders with the spark of courage that was
ignited in them by true faith, and began treading the straight path. The
common masses of the Quraysh are informed of these impressions of the
jinn through the Prophet (sws) so that they too break the shackles of
blindly following their leaders and so that they are inculcated with the

4. And that this foolish [leader] of ours has been saying absolutely false things
about Allah.

Surah Jinn 536
confidence of relying on their own vision and intellect.

5 (o) z j$ M & jL\j js$\ djz J J €\j

Expressed in this verse is the misconception they were led into by their
leaders. They thought that men or jinn could never impute such falsities
to God that He had appointed certain partners and also regarded them to
be worthy of worship; on the contrary, these people were audacious
enough to do such things and they were lured away by them.

Through these words they wanted to convey to their masses that they
should not blindly follow their religious pundits by being deceived about
their sanctity. They should use their senses lest these pundits cause them
an irreparable loss.

This is another piece of information they divulged to their people.

The real meaning of the word ^kj is "to burden someone with what he
cannot bear." It was from this original meaning that it came to be used
for "sin, oppression, cruelty and usurping rights". Consequently, in verse
thirteen it is used for injustice.

Generally, people have interpreted this verse to mean that some foolish
human beings took refuge with the jinn and thereby made these jinn
arrogant and supercilious. This interpretation does not seem to be
correct. Firstly, the discourse does not give any useful information and
secondly, the word exceeds its real meaning in this interpretation. In
my opinion, the subject of the verb \ jSl) is ji-i ^> Jli-j and the antecedent
of the pronoun is iy o^-j- In other words, some foolish men

sought refuge with the jinn so that they could save them from calamities
sent by the jinn; however, when the jinn saw that they were luring some
people away, then instead of protecting these people from their evil they
lured them into it.

The Idolaters of Arabia had the superstition that the jinn were a means
of finding out the news of the unknown and the unseen world. As a
result, a whole system of soothsaying which was totally based on lies
and deception had come into being. Typically, a soothsayer would tell a
person under his lure that a certain jinn is angry with him and that if he
did not do a particular sacrifice or make a vow, then this jinn would
cause him some harm. As a result, this person would obey the

5. And that we thought that no man or jinn could forge a lie against Allah.

6. And that there were some among men who had been seeking refuge with
some among the jinn so they only increased them in their rebellion.

Surah Jinn 537

soothsayer. So much so, in order to please the jinn, foolish people at the
behest of these soothsayers would at times even sacrifice their children.
This has been alluded to in Surah An' am.

Another superstition with which they thought these Idolaters of Arabia
were afflicted was that every valley and every mountain was inhabited
by some specific group of jinn. If ever circumstances arose that someone
had to spend the night at some such place, then it was deemed necessary
to seek the refuge of the leader of these jinn. In case this refuge was not
sought, there was a strong chance that these jinn would send some
calamity on them. Consequently, in the age of ignorance when the Arabs
would spend a night in some valley they would invoke the chief jinn of
that valley and would think that they had sought refuge with him.
Obviously, this was another needless burden which such people would
have to bear because of this superstition.

It is to such superstitions that the pious jinn mentioned in this siirah have
alluded. The objective is to show that because of a lack of comprehension
of the concept of tawhld an alliance has come into being between some
foolish human beings and some mischievous jinn. The purpose was also to
show the various spiritual and material evils were as a result coming into
existence to uproot which the Almighty had revealed this Book.

The reason that the word Jli-j is not defined can be both for
magnification (tafkhim) and derision (tahqir). In other words, the verse
can be interpreted in two ways: a) some foolish among human beings
would invoke and seek refuge with some foolish among the jinn and b)
some mischievous among human beings would invoke and seek refuge
with some mischievous among the jinn. In fact, it would be totally in
accordance with the principles of Arabic if this verse is interpreted thus:
some foolish among human beings would invoke and seek refuge with
some mischievous among the jinn.

7 (V) t &\ ^4-> c) & ^ \ ^ fffij

After tawhid, the jinn have now pointed out the misconceptions of both
groups - humankind and jinnkind - regarding the Hereafter. They told
their brethren that just as they were in the misconception that the
Almighty would not raise their dead, some men have also remained in
this misconception. The implication is that one of the objective for which
the Qur'an has been revealed is to dispel this misconception of people.

Some people have interpreted this verse differently. They think that
these jinn were giving a different piece of information to their brethren

7. And that like you, they also thought that Allah would never raise the dead.

Surah Jinn 538

viz: just as they were under the wrong impression that now the Almighty
is not going to send any prophet similarly some among mankind were
also under this wrong impression.

Although the words of this verse can be interpreted thus, however a
question arises on it. The foremost addressees of the Qur'an - whether
they were from the Ishmaelites or the Israelites - were waiting for a
prophet because of prediction made by earlier prophets. Though the
People of the Book tried to hide these predictions but they were not able
to deny them. As far as the Ishmaelites were concerned, they did not
have a clear conception of this awaited prophet because of being
unlettered, yet they too did not deny him with certainty. Consequently, at
some places in the Qur'an, they have been condemned for a particular
attitude they had adopted: before the advent of this awaited prophet, they
had claimed that if the Almighty would send a prophet from within them
they would be the first ones to accept him and the ones to follow his
guidance the most; however, when the Almighty blessed them with this
favour, they became his opponents.

US lllj (A) \1+Lj \

Mentioned in these verses is what they experienced for the very first
time in this universe at the time of revelation of this Book. It has been
mentioned at many places in the Qur'an that when the devils among the
jinn try to eavesdrop to gain news of the unknown and unseen world they
are pelted with shooting stars. This personal experience of the jinn
substantiates this information of the Qur'an. It also shows that prior to the
revelation of the Qur'an, there was a possibility of such eavesdropping.
However, at the time in which they were narrating their experience, the
heavens were filled with meteors and sentinels to such an extent that the
jinn were not able to infiltrate for this purpose in any manner.

Although the jinn mentioned this great change in the system of the
universe they were not able to cite any reason for it. This is evident from
the very next verse which says that they were unaware of the wisdom
behind what was happening. However, by linking the revelation of the
Qur'an with this great change, they observed they gave the impression to
the people that this change was related to the revelation of the Qur'an.

In my opinion, their deduction was correct. It is evident from many

8. And we deeply observed the heavens and found it filled with stern guards
and meteors. And we were able to sit in some of its stations to eavesdrop, but
now whoever tries to eavesdrop finds a meteor waiting for him.

Surah Jinn 539

verses of the Qur'an that the system of surveillance which the Almighty
has set up in this universe to stop the jinn from intervening in divine
matters became very rigorous at the time of the revelation of the Qur'an
so that this divine Book was protected from such incursions. In general,
this system of surveillance has always remained in action. Even before
the revelation of the Qur'an, the devils have been pelted with meteors for
such intervention; however, just as governments put roads on which
royal treasure is to be transported or on which the royal cavalcade is to
pass under special protection, it seems that in the time of revelation of
the Qur'an and at advent of Gabriel also the heavens had been put under
special protection to stop such infiltration.

The Qur'an has cited this information given by the jinn before the
Idolaters of Arabia because these Idolaters would regard the Qur'an to be
a discourse similar to the one produced by soothsayers and that it was
inspired by the jinn. By this information this blame was refuted. For its
refutation, the mere statement and observation of the jinn themselves
mentioned in this verse was enough.

9 , |« t , , -,,f of oSi, . , - t s A " \T rf-

These jinn were not absolutely sure about the reason behind this great
change in the universe, as has been pointed out earlier. So instead of
pointing out a clear-cut reason, they just expressed their uncertainty
about it; they reckoned that though they did not know the real reason yet
they thought that this change was a prelude to some great revolution in
the earth. Whether this revolution would be advantageous or not for the
inhabitants of the earth is something which only time will tell.

Though because of exercising care they did not clearly express their
opinion, yet the style in which they expressed their opinion shows that
they thought this change would augur well for inhabitants of the earth.
Thus they mentioned that something ill may befall them in the passive
voice and mentioned that something good will befall them in the active
voice. I have already explained in Surah Kahf the difference of these two
styles viz a viz holding respect and reverence for the Almighty. Here what
needs to be specifically kept in consideration is that if their dominant
opinion was not that something good had been intended for the inhabitants
of the earth, then this opinion would also have been expressed in the
passive voice like the other sentence. However, correlating the revelation
of the Qur'an and the great change that occurred in the universe, they were
of the opinion that both these incidents were beneficial for the people of

9. And that we do not know whether any ill has been intended for those on earth
or whether their Lord has intended something good for them.

Surah Jinn 540

the earth and it was like an union of two propitious events.

10 (^) iSjJi &\'Jh lIS' d\JS 5jp %3 6 j^rU^ ll? &\j

In this verse, these jinn have expressed the opinion that till that time
there was no difference between good and evil in their eyes. Both were
equal to them; however, the Qur'an cleared this misconception of theirs
and clarified that all of them do not follow the same path and that their
paths are separate and that it is essential that they deal with people
keeping in view this difference. In other words, what is implied is that
the basis of association and dissociation should be belief and disbelief. It
should not be bias for one's tribe or nation.

This statement of the jinn is actually a declaration of acquittal from
their nation who even after their calls to accept faith remain adamant on
their disbelief and polytheism. Such a declaration was made by all
prophets of God before their respective nations and the righteous of all
periods of time while following these prophets also made such a
declaration. One prominent example of this were the companions of the
cave mentioned in Surah Kahf.

The word means "paths" and "schools of thought" and ISjJs means
"different" and "separate".

After calling their people to the truth, these words sound a warning to
their people: it has also become evident to them that they are always in
the grasp of God; He can seize them at any time.

In this verse, some words are suppressed on the basis of the well-
known linguistic principle of parallelism. These suppressed words can be
undersood through the sentence structure of the verse itself For example,
in the first part of the verse the presence of the word j. points to

the suppression of «.L-lll j in the second part. Similarly, the presence of
the word I^a in the second part points to the suppression of its
counterpart in the first part. I have unveiled all these suppressions in the
translation of the verse. Since this style is not common in Urdu 12 , the real
meaning of the verse cannot be understood unless these instances of
suppression are unfolded.

10. And that there are pious among us also and some who are otherwise; our
paths are separate.

11. And that we acknowledge that we cannot escape God's grasp by setting
off to some place in this earth or by running away somewhere in the heavens.

12. The case of English is no different. {Translator)

Surah Jinn

541

13

In this verse, these jinn have presented their own example before their
people regarding accepting the truth when it came their way. They
thought that it was mandatory upon them to recognize the truth and so
they professed faith in it. The implication is that this very attitude should
be adopted by all those who have regard for the truth. The evasion of
those who run away from it will bear witness that instead of following
reason they wanted to follow their desires.

In the expression li&j Hit i_>l£ the word JJz means "to reduce"
and the word JaJ, as explained earlier, means "to be unfair". This subject is
also discussed with slight variation of words in S-) ILsLa Hils i_sli£
(so they shall fear neither wrong not injustice, (20: 1 12)).

By these words, they have encouraged people who have accepted the
call to embrace faith: whoever will do so, should rest assured that this
deal will procure no loss. The Almighty will abundantly reward them for
their deeds. They should neither fear usurpation of some right nor any
injustice. Whatever a person would have done will only come before
him. In the Surah Zilzal the words used are:

Then whoever has done the smallest bit of good will see it, and
whoever has done the smallest bit of evil will also see it, (99:7-8))

In this verse, the jinn are expressing the fact that since the Almighty
has given them innate awareness of good and evil, has also explained to
them good and evil through His Books and as a fact of life they are also
witnessing that both types of people - obedient and disobedient - are
also found among them, then a natural consequence of all this is that the
Almighty should not regard both these categories to be equal; in fact,
those who remain obedient to Him should be worthy of Paradise and
those who deviate from the truth should become the firewood of Hell.

13. And that when we heard words of guidance we believed in it. So he who
believes in his God their Lord will have no fear of any loss or any injustice.

14. And that there are obedient among us and also disobedient; so those who
are obedient will find themselves on the right path, and those who are
disobedient will become the firewood of Hell.'"

Is

si

Surah Jinn 542

Making a distinction between good and evil is an obvious requirement of
the Almighty's justice and wisdom. If this is not so, then this would
mean that this world is an unattended lot whose creator regards good and
evil to be equal.

15 (M) lllc- t\j» jJblSlHSf 4-L JP \y\jcl,\ jJlj

After the impressions and statements of the jinn, from here the
discourse has shifted directly towards the Quraysh. I have already
written while explaining the word Jl of the first verse of this surah that
by this word the Prophet (sws) has been directed to communicate these
views of the jinn regarding the Qur'an and its message to the conceited
and arrogant leaders of the Quraysh. After this, the Quraysh are now
being directly admonished that if they had remained steadfast on the
straight path, then this would not have been a loss-incurring deed; it was
a very lucrative deal for them both in this world and the Hereafter. The
Almighty would have blessed them with abundant rain. The words
Jic *U literally mean "abundant water"; however, in Arabic it connotes
abundance in resources and provisions. Examples of this usage can be
seen in the previous surahs. In Surah Nuh, the words used are:

(\f-V :VY) jUJ Ji^j olli jUaJ Ji^J C&j

Seek forgiveness from your Lord; indeed, He is ever Forgiving; He
shall send down on you abundant rain from the heavens and shall
strengthen you with wealth and sons and shall make for you gardens
and shall bring forth for you springs of water. (71:10-12)

The verse under discussion actually dispels the misperception of the
Quraysh as per which they would attribute their affluence to their deities
and would fear that if they accept the calls of the Qur'an they would be
deprived of the wealth and children they have been blessed with. The
implication of the verse is that it is naive on their part to attribute this
affluence to their alleged deities. All the favours are the blessing of God
and if in spite of their ungrateful attitude He has still not taken away
these favours from them, then if they show gratitude He will not only
make them remain its recipients He will also increase these favours.

The words jUL^aJI jp refer to the straight path of tawhjd. It is

15. And it has also been revealed to me that if these [Quraysh] had adhered to
the straight path, We would have bestowed on them rain in abundance.

Surah Jinn 543
mentioned as if it is a well known path. It is a reality and hence human
nature bears witness to it, human intellect alludes to it and the prophets
and books of God have also called people towards this path.

16 (W) \1ju& ASlLli 4jj ^ ^Jo ^ysj 4_J °^sJ6i

This is an on the spot admonition on a misconception that may arise. If
the Almighty blesses someone with riches and affluence in this world,
then he should not be misled by this act of benevolence and regard himself
to be a favourite creature of God. The real purpose for this bestowal is to
test that person whether he becomes grateful and obedient to the Almighty
after receiving these favours or ends up as an ingrate and conceited person.
The implication of this verse is that these conceited leaders of the Quraysh
have forgotten this obvious reality; they regard these favours to be their
right which they have inherited from their forefathers; inebriated with
conceit and pride they show aversion to this Reminder which the
Almighty had revealed to them to guide them to the right path.

The words IjJL£ ISllc aSJJLj &j J>\ ^ JoJ>1 jij sound a second
admonition to the leaders of the Quraysh that those who evade the
Reminder of their Lord by showing conceit on their worldly affluence
should remember that the Almighty will cast them into an ever-
increasing torment.

The word ^fi refers to the Qur'an on the lack of recognition of which
the Quraysh have been condemned earlier. This word is used to refer to
the Qur'an in many verses.

The expression IjJuo Ulic has generally been translated as "extreme
torment". However, the real meaning of IlLi is "to increase". For this
reason, I am inclined to think that the punishment of those whom the
Almighty seizes because of the rejection of His prophet and Book is not
transient; it is ever- increasing. They will have to face a much greater
punishment in the Hereafter than the punishment they face in this world
and then they will be made to pass through an ever-increasing torment.
Never will it end or gradually lessen.

In the previous verse, the address of the discourse was not direct. In
this verse, the Quraysh are directly addressed and warned of the sanctity

16. So that We could test them by this, and those who turn away from the
Reminder of their Lord, He will put them through an ever-increasing torment.

17. And that mosques are only for the worship of Allah so invoke not any one
with Allah.

Surah Jinn 544

a mosque has in which no one but God is worshipped. This is a reminder
of the belief of tawhid which is part of the warning found in the previous
verse. The implication is that when the Almighty will seize those who
have turned away from His reminder, these alleged deities will not be
able to save them; hence the Quraysh should not contaminate the mosque
by worshipping them.

Since it is only the Almighty Who is worthy of being worshipped and
no one else has this prerogative so mosques are reserved for God only as
per the very purpose of building them. Neither can a mosque be built for
someone other than God nor can someone other than Him be worshipped
in it.

Here, the word jo-UU (mosques) is not specified; however, since the
addressees of this verse are the Quraysh, there is a strong indication that
it refers to the Baytullah. It is signified by a plural word because it is the
direction in which all other mosques are built and in fact knits these
mosques together, and secondly because it refers to all mosques. This
very style is adopted in (W:"\) <U5l jo-LU \/J^i d\ &&J£& o& ^- Here too
the word connotes the Baytullah; however, to let it remain a general
directive, a plural word is used.

18 (^) aISs- IjiS'ojijo lie- pll ill AjIj

It was only befitting that in the Baytullah no one else's name be
invoked other than that of the Almighty; on the contrary, when the
Prophet (sws) stands up to worship the Almighty only, his opponents
surround him from all sides.

The word \x^S is the plural of illi which means something which is
intertwined or something which is multi-layered. This verse depicts the
fact that the concept of tawhid has become alien in the very house that
was built for the worship of the one and only God; when a servant of
God stands to worship Him in it and recites surahs which contain the
pure teachings of tawhid, people regard him to be an alien or a mad
person and encircle him from all sides. Precisely the same situation
arises when he goes out to preach and recite before them the surahs
which are based on tawhid. At that time also, some miscreants besiege
him and try to harass and humiliate him.

The expression ^dll lie. refers to the Prophet (sws). The expression
reflects affection as well as the reality that the most natural and logical
attitude of a servant of God is to invoke God alone; however the

18. And that when this servant of Allah stands to invoke only Him, it seems
as if they will rush upon him.

Surah Jinn 545

conscience of some people has become so perverted that the highest and
noblest of deeds has become alien and aversive to them.

These verses guide the Prophet (sws) that however much these people
should oppose him and express disgust, he should not care about them and
clearly tell them that he will invoke God alone and not ascribe partners to
Him even though they might regard these partners to have a great share in
this partnership with God.

20 ( ^) % i> fi=J iiiif i i| ji

The Prophet (sws) is asked to convey to his opponents that if they feel
an aversion to his message and they are not even ready to hear him out,
then he has no remedy for them; he has been sent as one who invites
people to the truth and not one who makes them forcibly accept it; neither
is their harm or benefit under his control nor can he provide guidance to
them or lead them astray; his only responsibility is to deliver the word of
God and that is what he is doing; he has no further obligation. Here the
unique style of the Qur'an may be noted that because of parallelism after
\y±> the word Ui2 is suppressed and after the word lie- is suppressed.

21 (^) *i j a ^ j^-I IS-t 4^ jj£ J Ji

This is a further explanation of what is said in the previous verse. The
Prophet (sws) is told to inform his adversaries that if while trying to
pamper them or being over-awed by them, he succumbs to associating
someone with God then this would be imputing falsehood to God which
is the greatest crime. He should also inform them that such is the
punishment of this crime that no one will be able to give him refuge and
asylum from the wrath of God.

This verse relates to verse twenty one above. The implication of the

19. Tell them: "I invoke my Lord only and will not associate partners with Him."

20. Tell them: "I have no authority to harm or benefit."

21. Tell them: "None can protect me from Allah nor can I find any refuge
besides Him."

22. Only to inform you from Godand to communicate His messages to you.
And those who disobey Allah and His Prophet shall abide forever in the fire of
Hell.

Surah Jinn 546
verse is that the Prophet (sws) can neither bring about the promised
punishment at their demand nor forcibly guide them; his responsibility is
only to communicate the message of God with full integrity of contents
and to inform them of all the directives of God.

The word ajNUIj (His messages) is connected to (to inform). After
<^ki the purpose of addition of this word is to show that the
responsibility of the Prophet (sws) is only to communicate the message
of God in its exact form; apart from this communication, he can neither
guide them or lead them astray and he also does not have the authority to
alter the directives of God in the slightest way for their pleasure.

The words l^J yjte- pi^-j^ ^ 5^ ^ o^J ex P ress the fact
that the Prophet (sws) is asked to tell them that after this communication
he would have discharged his obligation. After this those who remain
adamant in disobeying God and His Prophet (sws) should remember that
for them is the fire of Hell in which they will dwell forever.

The implication is that today these people are very proud of their
power but when they will see the promised punishment, then they will
realize whether it is they who are frail and weak or the Prophet of God
whose warnings they never gave any importance.

The words dj^-y. ^ (what they are being warned) encompass the
punishment which is necessarily faced in this world by people who reject
their prophet as well as the punishment which they will face in the
Hereafter. The twenty fifth verse of the previous siirah, Surah Nuh also
discusses this aspect.

The opponents of the Prophet (sws) wanted to hasten the punishment
which he was promising them and to pester him would inquire about the
time of its arrival. In this verse, he is asked to inform such people that he
has been sent only to inform people of its arrival; the exact time of its
arrival is not known to him; it could be imminent and it could have been
deferred by the Almighty.

23. Until these people behold that what they are being warned of; then they
shall know who is the weakest in help and who is the fewest in numbers.

24. Tell them: "I do not know whether that with which you are being threatened
is imminent or whether My Lord will postpone it a little more."

Surah Jinn 547

There are certain facts of the unknown that are known only to God.
The words <Zs- Jp does not refer to each and every fact of the unknown;
it refers to those facts whose knowledge rests only with Him. For
example, the time of the punishment of the Hereafter is only known to
Him. He does not disclose such facts even to his angels and prophets.

The implication of the verse is that it is not necessary that the Almighty
inform his prophets whom He selects for this position of all the facts of the
unknown world. It is not necessary for them to be aware of all such facts if
they are to discharge their responsibility as prophets. However, the
Almighty does guard them from all sides to see if they have faithfully
delivered His directives. ,

The exception connoted by the particle S!] can be understood if the
following verse of Surah Ghashiyah is kept in consideration:

Just remind them, for your duty is only to remind them; you are not
to force them. As for he who turns away and denies, God will punish
him gravely. (88:21-24)

In technical terms, such an exception is called the severed exception
{istithna ' munqati '); it is independent of the previous clause from which
it seemingly creates an exception and is explained by an enunciative
(khabf) which follows it.

The word pL*j is in the same meaning as in (VViV) °^L=c^ jjj^I^-U! pJu
and other verses of similar meaning. The word ^JilS is used in precisely
this meaning in (M :V) OjllAS lXS'j^J. The Almighty has knowledge of
all things; however, He wants the inner-self of a person to be revealed and
that He is able to test him.

25. Only He knows the unknown, and He never reveals His unknown to anyone.

26. As for those whom He chooses as His Messengers, He guards them from
behind and from the front that He may know if they have delivered the
messages of their Lord; and He surrounds them from all sides and keeps count
of all their things.

Surah Jinn

548

The sentence js Uj -&L>-lj implies that the

Almighty fully protects the revelations He entrusts to His prophets and
keeps count of every single thing He gives them. The smallest of things
cannot escape this count.

With the help and grace of the Almighty, I come to the end of this
surah 's tafsir <gL^} 4i juJ-U (so gratitude be on His favour).

Rahmanabad

20 th October 1978 AD

17 th Dhual-Qa'dah 1398 AH